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Chang Hu (792–852) was born in Hopei province but grew up in Suchou, next to Lake Taihu. When he later moved to Ch’ang-an to prepare for the civil service exam, he aroused the enmity of the powerful Hanlin academician Yuan Chen and was forced to leave town. He took this as a sign that an official career was not for him, and he built a cottage near Tanyang, where he spent the rest of his life. The Sungting relay station was apparently in the vicinity of the Yangtze and Lake Taihu, which was said to comprise five bodies of water and was also called Five Lakes. This region was famous as a place where a person could avoid the notice of the authorities, and it was the home of many bandits and martial arts heroes. The friends to whom Chang refers are those, like himself, who were forced into early retirement.

Written at the Sungting Relay Station

CHANG HU

Hill shapes merge with the far-off sky

east of the mist-covered marshlands

the ocean glows with the day’s first light

the river turns white in the distant wind

steep trails lead to a high plateau

small paths link columns of smoke

why are all my retired friends

not here among the Five Lakes